St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-16

): IS: i; !; 81; :
elaborate plant
of the kind in the world. A year ago an
electric lighting company, composed en-
tIre1y OF Japanese, was formed in Toxic
Gthe city formerly called Yeddo), and S.
Yashima was elected its president;
Prof: lshiouke FujiOka, who was edu-
Gated with the Siemens in Paris, and
subsequently given a chair in the I'm
perial college of Japan and made the
chief electrician of the empire, was ap-
pointed electrical engineer of the new
company. He made careful maps of the
city and was preparing to start for Eu-
rope to purchase a plantwhen an imperial
order was given that the palace of Nut
suhlto, the mikado,mu also be lighted.
This placed mechanical and engi-
| neerlng difficulties in the way of the
new company, which appeared to be in
surmountable. No building which con-
tanned boiler or an engine could be
built within a mile of the great cluster
| OF bamboo and silk structures which
form the palace, on account of the dan
| ger OF fire, the light bamboo walls of
| Japanese structures of all kinds being
exceedingly infiammable. How to over
| come this distance was the question con-
| fronting the new company.
Prof. Fujioka and Mr.. Yashima at
once started for Europe, and all the
| great electrical engineers of France,
Germany and England were consulted.
| Many European experts went to Toxic
and looked over the ground but were
unable to suggest any plan that was
| practicable, and finally the Japanese
| agents were reluctantly referred to
Thomas A. Edison, the American cleo
| trician who can do
| ANYTHING WITH ELECTRICITY HE
WANTS To.
Messrs. Fulioka and Yashima reached
New. York in the spring. Time was
slipping away from them. The imperial
| order was that the palace should be
lighted by Nov. Is, 1887, the Mikado's
birthday, and they had already spent
six months of the year without accom-
plishing anything. The Edison com
pany was at once consulted and en- gil
neerS in charge of the wizard electric
lighting 5WorkS saw no particular diff
Guilty in the problem presented, and so
perfect were the survey plans made by
Prof. FuJiOka that it was deemed UNI
necessary to send man to Toxic to per
sonally inspect the plant.
Work was soon begun on the plans,
and in month the japanese officials
had the satisfaction of seeing every plan
and design completed and estimates of
the cost made, contracts amOuntin to
nearly $3.50, 600 were signed and the last
OF the elaborate electroliers for the pal
ace have been shipped.
The eiectrOlierS ordered are the most
elaborate that had been constructed I'D
to the time the order was given, but in
some way Jay Gould heard of the mi
kado's plans and ordered several which
are justas handsome for his own home.
The principal apartments to be lighted
ception room, the private reception
room, the east and west dining room. the
inner veranda, the west waiting room,
the private west and south waiting
rooms, the princes and ministers
rooms, his majesty's study rooms, his
majesty's bath room, the main and pri-
vate dining rooms, the east and west
main entrance halls, and the long lines
OF corridors in the palace, with several
smaller apartments. Besides all these
the grounds and the lake, which are
very elaborate, are also to be lighted.
This demands over sixty electroliers
of most elaborate design and all differ
ent, beside an innumerable number of
brackets, newell post and standing
lights for halls, corridors and grounds.
The designs are made for electrolierS
| OF three different classes. Some are
stately and architecturally constructed,
| others are OF delicate, flowing, fiowery
| style in which silver, gold and elab-
orately cut crystal mingled, and others
are what is artistically known as a
robust and truthful" interlacing of
scroll work. They are glistening masses
of gold and silver, mingled with the
brilliant colorS which oxidation pro-
duces on these metals, with which beau
tifully cut crystal interlaces in every
conceivable form. Most of the globes
are of white cut glass, but some of them
are ruby, crimson. emerald, violet, sap
phire, topaz, amethyst and other colors.
Most OF these cOlored globes are to go
in the gardens, around the lake or in
the Mikado'S bath room. When this
apartment is lighted the effect will be
very beautiful. The electrolier re-
sembles the one in the private room of
the empress, and its ruby and violet
globes shed a soft light over a toilet
room hung with silk of many hues and
gorgeously embroidered. Around the
walls are brackets having white and
colored globes that east sunset-colored
shadows
ON THE TESSELATED MARBLE FLOORS.
In the center of the apartment is the
bath, marble basin thirty or forty feet
in diameter, and here wonderful effect
is produced by clusters of different col
ored lamps placed under the water.
In one place the little lake is violet,
in another green, in another blue or red
or gold, and when the water is agitated
the intermingling of the colorS produces
an effect undreamed of even in fairy
land.
Similar effects are produced in the
lakes of the gardens and by placing
white and colored lamps amid the foli-
age of the tropical trees with which the
gardens abound.
in the palace and another 1000 will
be placed there. 1t took S14,S9O feet
of wire cable, most of it being nine-wire
cable, to put up the palace plant, beside
mile of very heavy copper conductor
which runs from the station in Toxic to
the palace. This conductor is of I'M
usual dimensions, as high motive
power is necessary to run plant at
long distance from station, and as alb
Solute safety was considered of greater
Importance than cost, this form was
used.
The plant itself consists of IA Edison
500light dynamos with their engines
and boilers, and it is capable of fur
nishing from 1000 to 5000 lights. The
entire city of Toxic will be lighted in
addition to the palace, and it will be,
when completed, one of the most extern
sive plants in existence.
1t will be operated by Japanese
engineers and workmen, and is the first
of many of similar nature that are to
be placed in the Japanese islands. The
contract was secured by the Edison
company after the most active and Bit
ter competition from European firms.
Japan will never have to appoint
subway commission, for all the wires
are being put under ground, no poles Of